Aerial navigating machine



/ March-5,- 1940. H. A. DROITCQUR Y 2,192,300

AERIAL NAVIGATING MACHINE Filed Aug. 26, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet- 2 mo 22 a .1! M 6' '17 INVENTOR.

156 wardflfiraz'ziwal A TTORNEYS.

March 5, 1940. H. A; DROITCOUR AERIAL NAV IGATING MACHINE Filed Aug. 26, 1937 4 Sheets Shee1 3 Howard/{fire zazzx' ATTORNEYS.

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Illlllll Mar ch 5, 1940- H. A. DROITCOUR AERIAL NAVIGATING MACHINE Filed Aug. 26, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 V IN V EN TOR. wordfl 0/ az'fa Jar A TTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 5, 11940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,192,300 mam nAvIGArmG momma Howard A. Droitcour, Oranston, R. 1.

Application August 2 ,1937, Serial No. 161,008

11 Claims.

This invention relates to an aerial navigating machine of the helicopter type; and has for one of its objects the provision of greater sta bility of this type of machine.

Another object of the invention is the provision of inherent stability in a helicopter type of aerial machine so that the machine will return from an inclined position to a normal upright positionwithout the manual manipulation of controls and thus provide a construction which will not'require any action of an operator to correct the inclination of the machine.

Another objectof the invention is the provision of an air displacement member. which will have a stabilizing effect upon the body of the machine by changing the apparent center of gravity in air toa point spaced from the actual center or mass, thus causing two points about which forcesact and with a directing of the an acting forces so as to form a couple to-stabilize the machine and cause it to move to upright vertical position rather than to maintain or increase an inclination which might result were it not'j'for such displacement member.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described,- and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In theaccompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view largely diagrammatic of a helicopter type of navigating machine incorporating my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof with one of the propellers broken away; Fig. 3 is a sectional view largely diagrammatic of the driving means for the propellers;

7 Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the driving means shown in Fig. 3; 2 Y

Figs. 5 through 21 are diagrammatic views indicating various. forces which have an effect upon the machine;

Fig. 22 is a sectional view on ,line 22-42 of- Fig.3; a

Fig. 23 is a sectional viewon line 23-23 of Fig 4;

Fig. 24 is a diagrammatic view'for certain illustrative purposes;

Fig. 25 is a sectional view on line 25- 2! of Fig. 3.

-It is quite generally recognized that copter type of machine has little inherent'sta- Y bllity and attempts have been made to provide I ,forces which will act at'various locations tending to stabilize and prevent helicopters assum- 6 ing an inclined position, all of which devices rethe heli- (Cl. 244-1'I) quire the control by an operator who must be highly skilled if the devices are to be eilective; and as a general rule such arrangements have been found impractical because too great a skill is required of the operator for manipulatin 5 them. Conditions change rather quickly in the air, making a constant manipulating of the control devices necessary; and in order to avoid this undesirable condition I have so arranged a helicopter navigating machine that it will have 10 an inherent tendency to stabilize itself or return to upright vertical position without requiring the action of any operator, all by the arrangement and control of the buoyant, sustaining and gravity acting forces and without the 15' necessity of manual control by any operator; and the following is a more detailed descriptionv of the present embodiment of this invention, illustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished.

In order that this invention may be best understoodl will first refer to the force diagrams indicated in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 showing' the old or generally known type of heliocopter with no inherent stability. Fig. 5 shows the center of 26 mass which is also the actual center of gravity in air in the usual helicopter at 20, the forces tending to lift the machine are indicated at L and the force of gravity is indicated at G. 'These forces L and G are in the same line, equal 30 and opposite and accordingly the machine would have no tendency to move in any direction, and so long as this condition remains undisturbed by wind or some other outside force the machine will remain stationary. In Fig. 6 the lift force 35 L is inclined and the force of gravity is equal to the lift force and both act through the-center of gravity in air or center of mass, as in Fig. 5. when such condition exists the resultant force R of L and G tends to accelerate the machine in 0 its direction and will have no tendency to turn the machineback to its vertical position or away from its vertical position. In the condition shown in Fig. 'l the forces L and G are equal but the force L does not act through the- 5 center of mass and center of gravity in air 20, as shown by the diagrams. The machine, how- 'ever, is vertical. The resultant of the lift and gravity forces B does not pass through the center of gravity of the machine, and as the center of 5 gravity 20 oflers a resistance to the acceleration with an'equal and opposite force through the o center of gravity, which force is indicated-A, the forces A and R form a couple which tends to turn the machine away from thevertical poaiposition from the 90 angle through which it is force, as a means of control to turned, as shown in Fig. 8.

It will be readily apparent that thevarlous 'forces which may act upon the conventional type of machine with its center of massand center of gravity inair at the same point will have little or no afiect upon righting the' machine should it be inclined fromits ,vertical position; and it will also be readily apparent that where manual controls must be utilized for obtaining stability that the operator must anticipate and stop the machine in true-vertical position, otherwise an'incline from the vertical in the other direction will be had.

All aerial navigation machines of the .mixed type (part displacementlift and part propeller or wing lift) have depended upon a lift from the gas filled member to support part of the rest of the machine. The additional. expense of a. gas unit is so great, and the additional resistance to motion so large that all machines employing a displacement lifting member in conjunction with other. sustaining means depend upon it to deliver a total lifting force sufiicient not only to lift its -own weight (the combined weight of the gas and its containing and controlling. means) but also to lift a substantial part of the weight of the rest of the machine. A buoyant member has been used for a stabilizing effect, but thegas filled envelope always had a resultant force which was a substantial lift. There has been no previous suggestion of a buoyant member,- used for control, so heavy it could not sustain substantially more than its own weight.

It is the disclosure of this invention to use a displacement member, whose resultant force is a comparatively insignificant lift or a downward stabilize an aerial navigation machine. The principle of-the present invention, is that by providing a iargebulbous member connected to, the main weight of the machine, there will be caused a sufficient buoyancy so that the heavy partof the machine will tend to rightv itself with reference to the larger bulbous member under the influence of the force. of gravity or any sustaining force which may be applied; and this I accomplish by securing to the main body of the heliocopter a bulbous member which will displace a sumcient volume of air to provide the desired conditions, and this bulbous body may be either such as to itself sustain a part of the liftsuch as being made lighter than air, or it maybeitself heavier than air and sufficiently open so as to permit some little circulation of air into and out ofit. In this latter case it will be plain that the bulbous member on the upper part of the bodyis not for the purp se of lift but is for the purpose of control and stabilization, and while lift may be had, it is merely incidental to the principle of this invention.

In'Flg. 1 I have indicated the body of the helicopter at which'is provided with the usual landing wheels 2! supported by struts 21 This body portion of the machine houses the engines and all heavy parts of the device. 7 The bulbous member is designated 28 and consists ofa large envelope which will contain air and need not be sealed with a lighter than air content, al-

aioasoo though it may be sealed when a combination machine which has some lighter than air sustaining qualities, is desired. This bulbous member 26 is slotted as at 21a and a pair of propeller shafts 30 and 3| are located one within the other in this slot to drive propellers 28 and 29 in opposite direc- 'tions, the slot 21a in the envelope 2! being sufchine will tend to right itself or stabilize withv the heavier part of themachine lowermost and the bulbous member uppermost no matter in .what direction the forces are acting so long as they act close to or through lines close to the center of mass and center of gravity in air. By center of mass I mean the absolute center of mass of the entire machine including the mass of any air or gas contained withinthe machine. The center of mass would be identical with the center of gravity in a vacuum of the entire machine including the gases normally contained within the machine.

By the apparent center of gravity in air I mean that point through which the resultant force of the absolute force of gravity and the total' buoyant force, passes. The absolute force of gravity is the total weight of the entire machine including the weight of all gases (including air) enclosed in the bulbous member. The total buoyant force is the resultant force of the static air pressure upon the entire outermost surface of the machine. This total buoyant force equals the weight of air that would be displaced by a solid member whose outermost surfaces were identical with that of the entire machine 7 v y when the large bulbous member 261s attached to the body 25 the center 01' mass will be. as indicated at I! in Fig. 9. However, due to the fact that the member 28 is large and relatively light it will have a certain buoyant effect when placed in any liquid medium, such for instance as air, and will have a much more buoyant effect than the body of the device which is comparatively small and heavy. The relation of the bulbous member 28 and the relatively heavy body I! may perhaps best be-illustrated by reference to Fig. 24 showingdiagrammatically a small solid concentrated weight W with its center ofgravityat x and a large bulbous box-llke-member'v whose center of gravity is at Y. These two are connected by a rigid member whose :weight is, negligible for the purposesof illustration. For

'the purposes of illustration it may be assumed that the connecting member is of suiilcient length to position the points x and Y inches apart.

The weight W is 100'po1mds, and the weight of of the box V is 10 pounds, and it has in it 12 pounds of air. Thus, the total weight of the entire system will be 122 pounds. Taking the moments about X, the center of gravity of the system will be located at 18.05 inches to the right of the point x which I designate C,which=is the absolute center of gravity or center of mass of the system.

foot so that the center of. buoyancy the system would be between the center of gravity Y of the ter of aerostatic lift, will be high. Under these box V and the center of buoyancy X of the concentrated weight W. However, its distance from the point Y is so small that it is here neglected. There is then a buoyant force of 12 pounds acting upwardly at Y. This makes the resultant down- Z through which this force acts as the apparent center of gravity in air which is 9.09inches to the right of X. Thus, the distance between the points Z and C is 8.96 inches. This will give "a definite illustration of the different points which are of dominant importance in connection with this invention. The important thing to note is that the apparent center of gravity in air is not at the same point as the center of mass C but a point an appreciable distancefrom it. This illustration will also show that it is unnecessary to have a lighter than air member to separate the center of mass and the apparent center of gavity in air. A lighter than air member has a similar effect upon the separation of the center of mass and apparent center of gravity in air as may be similarly determined. Accordingly, the center of mass will be low in themachine, while the cenconditions the center of mass and the apparent center. of gravity in air will be separated. This apparent center of gravity in air is designated 38 in Fig. 9, while the point 35 is the center of mass,'and I hereinafter refer to these points in this manner. I

Should the lift force L, as shown in Fig. 9, and the force of 'gravitshbe equal and opposite, the

same condition will occur as in Fig. heretofore mentioned. If, however, the force L is shifted a to the position shown in Fig. and is--s1ightly larger than the force G shown therein, the forces L and G will form the resultant force Rwhich will tend to accelerate the machine in its direction. The inertia of the mass resists this acceleration with a force equal and opposite to the force R which is designated as A, which force will act through the center of mass 35. The forces A and R form a couple winch tend to turn the machine from its inclined position counterclockwise and tend to place the machine in an upright position. As G is the only component of R having amoment about 35, its moment about 35 equals the moment of R about 35. No

matter what the value or direction of L, as

long as it is through 35, it'does not affect the stabilizing moment. Even if L were zero, as when .ducea no turning moment.

the propellers were stopped, the stabilizing moment would be undiminished.

In Fig. '11 I have illustrated the lifting force L as inclined and passing through the c'enterof mass 35, but, not through the apparent center of gravity in air 36, the force L being slightly greater than .the force G and the resultant R of the forces L and G moves through the center ofmass 3! and accelerates the machine in its direction. The force A resisting the acceleration passes through the center of mass and in this case. equal and in an opposite direction in the same line to the force R and therefore pro- Thus. should the forces act in this manner while the machine is vertical there is no tendency to turn it fromits vertical position.

Assuming the conditions, shown in Fig. 12,-the

75 is inclined with the force L greater than natural resistances will stabilize the machine G, as heretofore. The force L passes through the center of mass but not through the apparent center of gravity. The resultant R of the forces L and G accelerate the machine in its direction, the force A resisting the acceleration passes through the center of mass and the forces A and R form a couple which tends to turn the machine counter-clockwise as viewed in Fig. 12, from its inclined position to an upright position so that the position of Fig. 11 will be re-assumed.

In Fig. 13 the force L does not pass through the center of mass or the apparent center of gravity in air, and while the machine is vertical the resultant R forms a couple with the resisting force A to produce a clockwise moment which will turn the machine from vertical. Thus, it would appear that should this condition occur the machine will tend to tilt, which will occur until the conditions of Fig. 14 are reached,

which shows the machine is inclined. The resultant force R causes a counter-clockwise moment with the resisting force A passing through the center of mass, and thus the machine would stabilize itself at the position where the clock wise moment of the force L about the center of mass would just be equaled by the counterclockwise moment of the force G about the center of mass, and thus the machine would stabilize at a slight inclination which would be within tolerable limits of use, the general rule being that as long as the value of the moment of the force L about the center of mass is less than the product of the weight mail and the distance between the-center of mass and the apparent center of gravity in air the machine will stabilize at some angle.

In the conditions assumed in Fig. 15 the lift force L- passes'through the apparent center of gravity in air but not through the center of mass, and the machine is inclined so that the lift is vertical. It is here assumed that the lift force L is equal to gravity force G. There is no resultant force of L and G and the machine would remain in the same position so long 'as these conditions continue,

In the conditions assumed in Fig. 16 the lift force L passes through the apparent center of gravity in air 36 but not through the center of mass 35. The machine is inclined and also the force L is acting in an inclined direction. The resultant R will accelerate the machine in its direction and the force A offers a resistance,

which force act's through the center of mass 35. The couple of the forces A'and R will tend to turn the machine counter-clockwise until the condition in Fig. 15 is reached.

In the conditions assumed in Fig. 1'7 theforce L passes through the apparent centerof gravity in air a but not through the center of mass 35. The machine is vertical, the two forces L and R areequai, and the resultant R will accel erate the machine in its direction, and as the force A resisting this acceleration acts throu hv the center of mass the couple of A and R will tend to turn the machine in a clockwise direction until the condition in Fig. 15 is reached. The inclination of Fig. 15, as h'eretoforenoted, is within the range of a tolerable inclination which maybe had; a 4

The machine may shift somewhat from the stabilized condition back and forth from the conditions of Fig. 15 between Figs. Hand 17, but

in the condition of Fig. 15 rather quickly.

' It'ls of course appreciated thatthe change my the values of forces will change the conditions,

but in most of those figures heretofore mentioned the forces Land Gare substantially equal, in some cases the force L being a little greater than the force G. It will be apparent from' these. force diagrams that the machine will stabilize itself at a reasonable angle so long as the priorator keeps the force L in a line near the centerof mass and at a reasonable angle with the machine.

This lift force L is provided through the propellers26 and 29 and the shafts are so arranged that they are close to the line passing through the center of "mass. As the lift force L is the resultant force of all the component air forces, except buoyancy, upon all the machine, it is. necessary to consider the eflect of a relative wind upon the force L. At low relative wind velocities L'is substantially the resultant of the force produced by the sustaining and propelling means,

and the' action of'the slip stream upon the mathe machine may be kept in stability by reason of chine. Assuming no change in the controls, this force will remain constant, and in a fixed-relaw tion to the machine whatever the machines inclination, as long as the relative wind is negligible.

At higher relative wind ,velocities a component of the force-L will be added of suiflcient size to materially affect the position and direction of the force L. The effect of this resistance force upon stabilization is helpful due to the fact that the resistance is higher than the center of mass which is purposely kept comparatively low. s

It will be apparent, that by inclining the propeller shafts as desired a propelling force forward as well as a sustaining lift may be had and yet the buoyant member above the body.

If it is desired that the stabilizing eflect be increased the body 26 may be articulated to the bulbous buoyant member 26 which is the gas containing and sustaining means, by means of agimbal'arrangement 33 enabling the body to rock in any direction with reference to the bulbous member 26, as shown in Fig. 18; A force diagram is shown in Fig. 19 of the condition of the body being articulated to the bulbous envelope so that it may hang like a pendulumtherefrom. The articulation point is designated 46 and is at the center of mass of the bulbous body 26. The articulation point is at the center of'mass of body 26. The body 26 imparts a force Bto the member 26. The lift force L and gravity G also act upon member 26.' These forces B, L and G form a resultant R of the forces acting upon body 26. The force R. accelerates the body 26 in its'direction, and the force A'resists this accelerations- The couple A and R tends to return the body 26 to its proper vertical; As G is the only component force of R. having a moment about the center of mass of body 26, its moment equals the moment of-R about the center of mass of body 26. The stabilizing moment is therefore unchanged by the action of 26 upon 26, and no matter what the value or-direction of the force B, the body 26 will have the stability described in Figs. 9 to 17. 'The articulation point may be separated .from the center of mass of themember 26 if the moments which are present of the force'B about the center of mass of the member 26 opposite to 'the stabilizing moment have not a constantly aioasoo v chine, is that the member-has a less momentof inertia about its center of mass than the whole machine. The stabilizing moment will, therefore,

be able to stabilize the member morequicklvbe readily'apparent that the ter of mass and the apparent center of gravity,

and various force diagrams may bereadily worked out illustrating these various conditions which I' will not. here attempt to show, as these will be apparent from the force diagrams already provided. I

It will also be apparent that'the bulbous memits various points of connection will also provide various forcediagrams, but in all cases the stabilizing influence will be effected according to the tltigory and arrangement heretofore indicated a ve.

In some cases, it is desirable to provid e-this principle in a control unit and Ihave illustrated in Figs. 20 and 21 a plurality of propellers with a bulbous member 46 which may be -rocked cause an inclination of the blades of propellers to change their pitch through a-suitable control ber may be either lighter or heavier than air and' with reference to the frame support 41 so as to.

mechanism. thus change their effective values.

The member 46 is articulated to the body near the center of mass of the member,'and preferably between the center of mass and apparent center of gravity in air of the member. I When the body becomesinclined with respect to the member 46,

rection of stabilization; With this arrangement, the member 46 acts merely as a control for the the propellers are .so controlled that the, sustaining force offers an increased moment in the diapplying of. stabilizing forces rather thanacting 1 directly to stabilize the machine as a whole, all

of which is within the preview of this invention.

through a suitable reduction gearing 52, a shaft 63, there being a control clutch 64 with operating handle 66 fordisconnection of the gearing.

Standards 66 slidably mount a frame 51 which may be raised and lowered by means of shafts 68 operated in unison through the sprocket chain 66 and sprocket by a handle 6| rotating the threaded shafts 62 in threaded boss 63'fixed on frame 61, the shafts 66belng rotatably mounted in bearings in the. standards 56-but axially held between collars 64 and 66 fixed on the shafts .68. 0o

Cross 'shaft 66 is mounted in bearings 61 on the frame 61 and is driven through the telescoping portion 68, 69 of the shaft 63 by bevel gears 10 and "II. The shaft 66 in turn drives the bevel gear 12 meshing with bevel gear" on shaft 14 on the end of whichthere is a large bevel gear I5.

A rectangular yoke 16 is rockably supported upon the shaft 66 and in turn rockably supports the frame I8 by means of shaft" and shaft I4 which has gear 16 mounted thereon. Upon this frame," there extends upwardly supports 1.6 which mounts a differential unit 80. Gear. I6 drives the gear 82 which rotates about shaft -83 as a center and carries with it pinions 84 which in turn engage the gear 66 fixed on the shaft 83 while also engaging internal gear teeth 80 of the differential unit so that pinion 84 also drives this unit, and in turn the gear 01- through the pinions 84' which are rotated by engaging teeth 86' of the unit 80. Gear 81 is ilxed'on tube 88 to drive this tube in the opposite direction to rotate 02 which are operated by the plungers 93 and 94 through suitable air brakeconduits and 96 sothat one propeller may be retarded while the a other will be correspondingly increased due to the differential connection of the mechanism, the control being from some suitable location in the body of the machine.

In order to-rock the propellers about the axis of the shaft 66 as a center I may manipulate the handle I00 which through screw shaft IOI rocks the arms I02 and I03 of the bell crank lever pivoted at I04 to move the link I05 connected to the frame 18 to rock this frame and the propellers and shafts carried thereby about the axis of the shaft 66 as a center. Torock the propeller shafts about the shafts l4, 11 as a center I manipulate the handle I06 which through shaft I0'l bevel gears I08, I09, shaft.ll0, slide II2, rocks lever II3, pivoted at I I4 and connected to thecollar I I5 by a yoke which permits rotation of the collar while maintaining. connection" thereto to move .the link IIS and its connection II! to the frame 10 whereby to rock this. frame about the shafts positions in the slot 21.

I4, .11 which are at right angles to-the shaft 66. Thus, the handles I00 and I06 serve to manipulate the propellers both about a lateraljaxis and also a longitudinal axis to dispose them in various The above mechanism of a means to drive the propeller shafts and other equivalent means may be provided by which 1ifting and propelling force may be applied to the machine.

The foregoing description is directed towards the method and construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the equivalent changes to which the construction and method are susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An aerial navigating machine comprising a body, means providing a sustaining force, and a bulbous member above said body providing a total buoyant force of sufflcient value to cause the points of actual center of mass and apparent center of gravity inair of the member to be substantially spaced, said bulbous member being to move with reference thereto, and means governed by the movement of the bulbous member with respect to the body to control .the sustainin force of said body.

3. An aerial navigating machine comprising a body, means providing a sustaining force for said body, a bulbous member above the body provid ing a resultant downward force but 'of a size having a total buoyant force of sufficient value to is merely one example cause the points of the actual center of mass and apparent center of gravity in air to be substantially spaced, said means including a shaft extending through-said bulbous member.

4, An aerial navigating machine comprising a body, means providing a sustaining force for said body, a bulbous member above the body providing a resultant downward force but of a size hav-.

inga total buoyant force of 'suincient value to cause the points of the actual center of mass and apparent center of gravity in air to-be substant-ially spaced, said means including a shaft I a total buoyant force of sufllcient value to cause" the points of the actual center of mass and ap-- parent center of gravity in air to be substantially spaced-said means including oppositely rotatable shafts extending through'said bulbous member.

6. An aerial navigatingmachine comprising a body, means providing a sustaining force for'said body, abulbous member above-the body providing a resultant downward force but of a size having a total buoyant force of suflicient value to cause the points of the actual center of mass and apparent center of gravity in air to be substantially spaced, said means includingoppositely rotatable shafts extending through'said bulbous member and movable with reference thereto.

7. An aerial navigating machine comprising a body, means providing a'sustaining force for said body, a; member above the body providing aresultant downward force but of -a size having a total buoyant force of suflicientvalue to cause the points of the actual center of mass and apparent center of gravity in air to be substantial ly spaced and having a slot therein, said sus-' taining means extending through and being -movable in said slot.

extending through said bulbous member and 8. An aerial navigating machine. comprising a.

body, means providing a sustaining force for said body, a bulbous member above the bodyproviding a resultant downward force but of a size having a total buoyant force of sufficient value to cause the points 'of the actual center of mass and apparent center of gravity in the air of the whole machine to be. substantially spaced, said sustaining means including two propellers and shafts, and means for driving said propellers and shafts in opposite directions through a differential gearing. v v

9. An aerial navigating machine comprising a body, means providing a sustaining force for said body, a bulbous member above the body providing a resultant downward force but of a size having a total buoyant force of sufficient value to cause the points of the actual centerof mass and apparent center of gravity in the air of the whole machine to be substantially spaced, said sustaining means including two propellers and shafts, with the propellers being disposed above the center of mass of the machine.

10. An' aerial navigating machine comprising a said sustaining means including two propellers 1 6 aioasoo and shafts withthe propellers being disposed above the center oi volume of the machine.

11. An aerial navigating machine comprising a. body, means providing a sustaining force ior said body, a bulbous member above the body providin a resultant downward force but of ssine having a total buoyant force of suiiicient value shafts, with the propellers being disposed above 6 the bulbous member.

no Jinn A. nnorrcoua, 

